A Reading by CallumBench Cushions
A dusty rose striped custom bench cushion, and how a narrow balcony hosts company
A built-in balcony bench, a deep striped seat and two back cushions that lift off on their own. I read it for company and for weather, and tell you about the one shape the workshop turned down.
SaveThe quick answer
A custom bench cushion for a balcony that hosts friends works best as one deep seat with two separate back cushions: each back lifts off alone, so a guest can sit sideways or stretch out. Run the stripes front to back so the long bench reads as neat vertical bands, and choose a water-repellent outdoor fabric.
Asked at the rail: odd sizes, photo codes and curves
- A common question
My bench needs 26 x 80 x 3 in, and that isn't one of the options. What do I pick?
The workshop's answerChoose the nearest option, here 24 x 80 in, then type the exact 26 x 80 x 3 in (66 x 203 x 7.5 cm) and your fabric in the personalization box. Production works from that box, and the workshop can add a new size option if needed. Ordering several cushions? Add each one to the cart as its own item.
- A common question
Which fabric and piping are on the cushion in one of your listing photos?
The workshop's answerAsk, and the workshop names the exact fabric and piping codes for any photo. Codes on older photos may have been renumbered; write 'same as the first picture' and it will be matched. Photo colors can differ from swatches because of lighting.
- A common question
Can you make a cushion for a seat that curves, steps in, or has six sides?
The workshop's answerYes, any size and shape once there's a drawing. Measure every side, sketch the shape on paper with each measurement written on it, and send a photo; the workshop checks it before quoting. Past drawings include a six-sided seat 86.5 in (220 cm) at its longest and 20 in (51 cm) at its widest, a curved breakfast nook with lift-up storage benches, and a window seat with L-shaped cut-outs at both ends.
Now, the reading
Pinned by Callum
Four pins, from the vertical stripe bands on the boxing to the geraniums on the rail.
- Dusty rose box back
A plain back cushion in the stripe's own pink keeps the look calm.
- Vertical bands on boxing
Front-to-back stripes show as neat vertical bands along the front edge.
- Second backrest
Two backs meet in the middle so each can be lifted off alone.
- Geranium planter
Pink geraniums on the rail repeat the cushion color.
- Dusty rose box backA plain back cushion in the stripe's own pink keeps the look calm.
- Vertical bands on boxingFront-to-back stripes show as neat vertical bands along the front edge.
- Second backrestTwo backs meet in the middle so each can be lifted off alone.
- Geranium planterPink geraniums on the rail repeat the cushion color.
Setting a narrow balcony for company
On a narrow balcony the cushion does the decorating. There's no room for a coffee table, a rug and six chairs, so the bench has to be the sofa, and the fabric has to be the room.
This one is a deep striped seat in dusty rose and white, with two plain box back cushions in the same outdoor weave. The stripes run front to back, so along the front edge they show as short vertical bands, a steady rhythm down a long bench. Our Pattern on stripe direction explains why.
The two backs meet in the middle, and that's the hosting detail I like best. One guest lifts a back off and sits sideways against the wall. After dinner, both backs set aside turn the bench into a place to stretch out. One long back would mean moving everything for everybody.
The plain pink backs keep the stripe from turning sugary, the geraniums on the rail repeat the rose, and the warm roof tiles beyond do the rest. How many people do you really fit out there on a summer evening? Try the layout in the bench cushion builder, and browse more bench cushions and balcony corner benches.
Weather on a balcony, and what the fabric promises
A balcony is outdoors with a roof over part of it and a railing that lets the weather in sideways. Rain doesn't negotiate.
This seat and its backs come from the water-repellent membrane family. Rain beads and runs off for a good while, but repellent and waterproof are two different words, and the Pattern on water-repellent vs waterproof cushions sets them side by side. After a storm, stand the cushions on edge to drain. When the season turns, the winter storage notes cover the rest.
If you rent, here's a thought, friend: a made-to-measure seat on a simple wooden bench gives you a balcony sofa you can take with you. Measure the bench, not the balcony.
Two banana-shaped benches the workshop said no to
A buyer wrote to the workshop about two identical curved garden benches, banana-shaped, about 54 in (137 cm) at the longest and roughly 19 3/4 in (50 cm) deep, plus a curved chair.
The workshop asked for the right things: straight and curved edge lengths, depths at the center and at the ends, and a paper tracing. The buyer sent all of it. Straight edge 55 1/4 in (140.5 cm), back curve 74 3/4 in (190 cm), front 56 1/4 in (143 cm), center depth 19 3/4 in (50.3 cm), with quotes asked at 2 3/4 and 3 1/8 in (7 and 8 cm) thick.
Then the workshop talked it over with its master craftsmen and said no. A kidney shape that strong carries too much fit risk from a distance, so it pointed the buyer to a local upholsterer who could fit the cushions in person.
I respect that call. Any curve needs a paper template at minimum, and the strongly curved ones are best fitted by somebody standing next to the bench.
- Sizes
- bench straight 55 1/4 in (140.5 cm), back curve 74 3/4 in (190 cm), front 56 1/4 in (143 cm), center depth 19 3/4 in (50.3 cm)
The lesson: Strongly curved kidney shapes are best fitted in person; a paper template is the minimum for any curve.
On the cutting table
| Cushion | Balcony bench seat with two box back cushions |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Outdoor weave with a water-repellent membrane |
| Pattern | Dusty rose and white stripe on the seat, plain dusty rose backs |
| Stripe direction | Front to back, showing as vertical bands on the boxing |
| Edge | Box edge, self piped |
| Backs | Two pieces meeting in the middle, each lifts off alone |
| After rain | Stand on edge to drain; store indoors for winter |
| Best for | Apartment balconies, porches and small patios that host guests |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Callum’s workshop
Sun, rain, salt. Say which of them your cushion will meet, and the workshop will plan around it. — Callum
Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.
Run the stripes front to back on a long outdoor bench cushion, and the front edge turns into neat vertical bands that make a narrow balcony look tailored.
Callum
Questions buyers ask next
Which way should stripes run on an outdoor bench cushion?
Front to back on a long bench. The stripes then show as short vertical bands along the front edge, breaking a long seat into a steady rhythm. Stripes running end to end stretch the bench and can look busy from the side.
Should balcony bench back cushions be one piece or two?
Two, on a bench this length. Back cushions that meet in the middle each lift off alone, so a guest can sit sideways, and you can carry one inside when rain comes without clearing the whole bench.
Is water-repellent fabric the same as waterproof?
No. Water-repellent fabric makes rain bead and run off for a while; waterproof means water cannot pass through at all. On an open balcony, stand the cushions on edge after a storm and store them indoors for winter.
Can a made-to-measure balcony cushion move house with me?
Yes, if it sits on a freestanding wooden bench rather than a built-in that stays behind. Measure the bench itself, not the balcony, and the seat and backs will fit wherever the bench goes next.
Fair winds — Callum
More photographs to read
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